Valentina Ortiz is a storyteller, musician, writer, recording artist, teacher and humanitarian. She considers herself a citizen of the world, as she tells her stories in English, Spanish or French. Valentina is the magic of Mexican traditions, with their music, native languages and stories. She is also the flavors of the Caribbean drums; she is the union of the different cultures from the tropics to the mountains. She speaks words of hope, of song and music, of strong women, of responsibility towards Mother Nature and community. She is well known for promoting collaborative projects that pursue the healing of social issues through storytelling specifically and art in general, as she is the founder and director of the nonprofit association Zazanilli Cuentos.
She has produced four records with her music and stories and published four books of her stories.
Shonaleigh has performed in venues from church halls to London’s Albert Hall, from forests to the Barbican, and at festivals in the U.K., on the Continent, USA and New Zealand. She also does a great deal of work in schools and among community groups, helping people, particularly teenagers and the immigrant community, find their voice. Shonaleigh was the UK’s Deputy National Storytelling Laureate from 2010-12, has completed commissions for the British Library, the British Museum and Hay-on-Wye Literature Festival, and is a regular contributor to BBC arts programs. Her 2012 appointment as Artistic Director of Phrase Arts, where she helped promote storytelling within communities, has led to her work with the European Court of Human Rights. She was Teller In Residence at the International Storytelling Center in Tennessee. Shonaleigh is now based at the International School of Storytelling in East Sussex, UK.
A Grammy-nominated recording artist; an internationally known, Oracle-award-winning storyteller; a published poet and writer, and a sought-after storytelling coach and teaching artist, Milbre Burch is a storyteller in every sense of the word!
Janice Del Negro
Janice M. Del Negro, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.
Del Negro has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival, the Bay Area Storytelling Festival, the Illinois Storytelling Festival, the Fox Valley Folk Festival, and many others. She has conducted workshops on various aspects of storytelling and narrative for librarians, teachers, parents, storytellers, and other educators in a variety of settings, including the National Storytelling Network Annual Conference, the Illinois School Library Media conference, the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of San Diego. Her most recent recording, Fortune’s Daughters: Ghost Tales and Folktales, was released in October, 2010.
A fairy tale believer since the beginning of her time, Isabelle Hauser discovered the path of storytelling training with professional storyteller Liz Weir in Northernt Ireland. When Isabelle is not telling tales accompanied by her harp on various Swiss stages, you can find her talking to the swans on the shore of her hometown lake, looking for four leaf clover, or chasing rainbows in the surrounding forests.
Jenni Cargill-Strong is an award-winning Australian storyteller and Owner Operator of ‘
Flor is a bilingual recording artist, actress, singer/songwriter, storyteller and puppeteer. She is originally from Lima, Peru where she graduated from La Escuela de Teatro de la Universidad Catolica with a degree in Acting and Theatre Education. In 2007, she moved to New York to live in her dream city. She is a Musical Theatre graduate from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA NY). She performs all around NYC with her musical/storytelling shows at acclaimed venues and events such as the NYPL, WaveHill, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling, The NY Children’s Theatre Festival, and El Museo del Barrio.
Clare is a storyteller. She travels the world and tells stories. From mainstages of theatres to medieval roundtowers Clare has told tales for all ages in more than 20 countries. Her work includes the political folkloric work such as her Syrian piece “The King of Lies” to playful pieces like UniVerse which explores where quantum physics, philosophy and mythology meet. She performs in English. She occasionally performs in Spanish when asked. Clare’s wide repertoire of stories includes traditional folklore to ancient mythology, to reportage to historical tales. Clare also performs at festivals, art centres, universities, public and private events, conferences and schools. She is a storyteller, performer, writer, dramaturg, curiosist, teacher, consultant, wanderer, wonderer and maker.
Professional performer for 40 years, Yvonne Healy was born across the water. She grew up on an American Main Street with Irish language, stories and culture. The inherited gene for adventure led Healy to graduate from Swarthmore College, spend half-a-life acting in New York’s soap operas and theaters, summer in yoga ashrams, and always to tell stories. Decades in professional storytelling, writing, acting, and improvisation lend a lively interactive flair to Healy’s teaching. In college courses, conference workshops, and artist residencies, Yvonne encourages children, teens and adults to develop communication, writing and literacy in her dynamic programs.
Clare is a storyteller. She travels the world and tells stories. From mainstages of theatres to medieval roundtowers Clare has told tales for all ages in more than 20 countries. Her work includes the political folkloric work such as her Syrian piece “The King of Lies” to playful pieces like UniVerse which explores where quantum physics, philosophy and mythology meet. She performs in English. She occasionally performs in Spanish when asked. Clare’s wide repertoire of stories includes traditional folklore to ancient mythology, to reportage to historical tales. Clare also performs at festivals, art centres, universities, public and private events, conferences and schools. She is a storyteller, performer, writer, dramaturg, curiosist, teacher, consultant, wanderer, wonderer and maker.
Storyteller Megan Hicks has a way with words.
Co-directors Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, longstanding San Francisco artists founded Eth-Noh-Tec in 1982 and have contributed greatly to the Asian American performing arts movement.
Ingrid Nixon is a world-traveling storyteller who whisks listeners away on journeys of the imagination. Exploration nail-biters, tall tales, traditional and personal stories—she tells them all on international expeditions, and at venues around the country, including the National Storytelling Festival. Her creative approaches to story crafting help make ancient tales relevant to modern audiences. Both of Ingrid’s recordings have received the Storytelling World Gold Seal for listeners of all ages! Her audio recording, Grimm’s with a Twist, offers deliciously dark stories spiced liberally with humor and pathos. Operation Bouncy Chair, features personal stories about the important things in life: family, love, and coffee. She is a champion liar many times over, a claim that makes her mother both proud and worried. She holds a Masters in Storytelling from East Tennessee State University. After living in Alaska for many years working as a National Park Service ranger, she currently hails from Washington State.
Flor is a bilingual recording artist, actress, singer/songwriter, storyteller and puppeteer. She is originally from Lima, Peru where she graduated from La Escuela de Teatro de la Universidad Catolica with a degree in Acting and Theatre Education. In 2007, she moved to New York to live in her dream city. She is a Musical Theatre graduate from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA NY). She performs all around NYC with her musical/storytelling shows at acclaimed venues and events such as the NYPL, WaveHill, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling, The NY Children’s Theatre Festival, and El Museo del Barrio.
